Unsettled weekend ahead for Ireland

Ireland is set for a largely dry day on Friday before unsettled weather takes hold over the weekend, with widespread rainfall and blustery winds expected at times.

An Atlantic depression to the southwest of the country will deepen over the next 24 to 36 hours, bringing increasingly unsettled conditions, particularly on Sunday.

On Saturday, the heaviest rain is forecast for the western half of the country, while eastern counties are likely to stay mostly dry until nightfall. Rain will spread more widely during Saturday night. Sunday will bring scattered outbreaks of rain accompanied by moderate to fresh winds.

The unsettled spell looks set to continue into Monday, when a deepening area of low pressure is expected to deliver another band of heavy rain along with potentially strong winds.

Through the rest of next week, a mobile Atlantic pattern will dominate, bringing frequent spells of rain or showers in moderate to fresh winds. Rainfall amounts are expected to remain above average, while temperatures will be slightly below normal for the time of year.

An improvement, albeit brief, is possible later in the month, with more settled conditions likely to develop in the south and southeast by mid-September as high pressure builds.